LESLIE: Ken, you’ve got the Money Pit. How can we help you today?
KEN: Well, it’s like this. My folks are in their 80s and their house was built probably in the 50s.
LESLIE: OK.
KEN: Somewhere around about the end of the Korean War.
TOM: OK.
KEN: And they have wet wall; you know, it’s brittle. It’s not drywall. It’s definitely wet wall.
TOM: OK.
KEN: And I have to install a grab handle in the bathtub.
TOM: OK.
LESLIE: Oh, gotcha.
KEN: So I’m just not positive about the construction behind the wet wall. Can I find studs with a stud finder and are they 16 inch on center?
LESLIE: What about those Moen brackets, Tom?
TOM: Mm-hmm. Yeah, there are a number of different types of brackets that are designed to adhere to a hollow wall, so you don’t necessarily have to find the stud. There are brackets that can go and it’s sort of like a high-tech toggle bolt, so to speak. But there are brackets that can support, believe it or not, 500 pounds in a hollow drywall wall; and certainly, if you have a wet plaster wall, they could do it as well.
LESLIE: I would buy the whole thing together; just because this way you know you’ve got the right brackets for the right grab bar. And you know, maybe your parents want something that’s a little bit more decorative. Tom and I have seen these in person. We’ve installed one; when we did a home safety makeover for the AARP. Moen – you know them; great manufacturer of bathroom products – if you go to their website, Moen.com, and under products you’ll find Bathroom Safety, I mean there is a plethora of grab bars that are available that look beautiful; that come in a variety of finishes; that look almost like a towel bar but they’re made to hold 500 pounds because of the special bracket that they sell with it. So I would kind of go that route rather than trying to sort of retrofit a more sterile-looking grab bar.
KEN: Well, thanks to you very much.
TOM: You’re welcome, Ken. I’m sure your parents will appreciate that. Thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
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